Harvey Weinstein Rape Charges: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Harvey Weinstein has turned himself in to the NYPD related to rape charges Friday morning according to a statement released by NYPD’s 1st Precinct Charges include rape, criminal sex act, sex abuse and sexual misconduct. He was arrested on charges that he raped one woman and forced another to perform oral sex on him.

“The NYPD thanks these brave survivors for their courage to come forward and seek justice,” the statement reads. “The arrest and ensuring charges are the result of a joint investigation between the NYPD and the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office.”

The NYPD were waiting since early March for the Manhattan DA to sign off on the bust to charge the former movie mogul with sexual assault. The only thing that was keeping Weinstein out of jail was the okay from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

Weinstein, who has been accused of sexual assault, sexual harassment and rape by more than 50 women including A-list actresses such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd and Angelina Jolie, is being formally charged for a case involving a woman named Lucia Evans. Evans, a former college student and aspiring actress, says she was forced to perform oral sex on Weinstein in 2004 despite repeatedly telling him “no,” reports the Daily Beast.

Due to the allegations against Weinstein, he has been fired from his company, kicked out of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and pushed out of the Directors Guild of America.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Weinstein Has Been Accused of Sexual Assault by More Than 50 Women Including Many A-List Actresses; He is Being Charged with Rape, Sexual Misconduct, Criminal Sex Acts & Sex Abuse

GettyHarvey Weinstein attends the ‘Lion’ premiere and opening ceremony of the 12th Zurich Film Festival at Kino Corso on September 22, 2016 in Zurich, Switzerland.

On October 5, 2017, The New York Times published a story detailing decades of allegations against Weinstein by women who say he sexually harassed and/or assaulted them. Shortly after, The New Yorker then published its own investigation, revealing three women had accused him of rape. Since then, more than 50 women have come forward with allegations of assault and harassment by Weinstein, dating back to 1980.

Among some of the first to come forward were actresses Rose McGowen and Ashley Judd, as well as a number of actresses, models, and other women working in the film industry, reports the Times.

According to a statement sent to the Times, Weinstein issued an apology acknowledging that his actions have “caused a lot of pain” to women over the last 30 years, but unequivocally disputes the allegations that he harassed any female employees during his time as a film producer and executive.

A Weinstein spokeswoman, Sallie Hofmeister, issued the following statement: “Any allegations of nonconsensual sex are unequivocally denied by Mr. Weinstein. Mr. Weinstein has further confirmed that there were never any acts of retaliation against any women for refusing his advances.”

Many of the allegations accuse Weinstein of forcing women to massage him and see him naked, as well as promising to help advance their careers in return for sexual favors.

Weinstein has collected six best-picture Oscars and produced a number of cult-classic films, from the films “Sex, Lies, and Videotape,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Good Will Hunting” to the television show “Project Runway.” In public, he presents himself as a liberal lion, a champion of women and a winner of not just artistic but humanitarian awards, reports the Times.

2. Weinstein is being Formally Charged for a Case Involving Lucia Evans, who Claims Weinstein Forced Her to Perform Oral Sex on Him in 2004

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According to The Daily Beast, the case authorities are charging Weinstein with involves Lucia Evans, a former aspiring actress, who says she was forced to perform oral sex on Weinstein when she was a student at Middlebury College.

Evans told the New Yorker that she was approached by Weinstein at Cipriani Upstairs, a club in New York, in the summer of 2004. After giving him her phone number, Weinstein began calling her late at night asking to meet. She continued to decline, but told him that she would do readings during the day, according to the New Yorker. Weinstein’s assistant called to set up a meeting at the Miramax office in Tribeca, claiming that Evans would be meeting with him and then with a female casting executive.

“I was, like, ‘oh, a woman, great, I feel safe,’” Evans told the New Yorker.

In the meeting, Evans alleged that Weinstein was both flattering and demeaning, telling her that she would be great in Project Runway if she lost weight, the New Yorker reports.

“I said, over and over, ‘I don’t want to do this, stop, don’t,’” she told the New Yorker, after Weinstein pulled his penis out of his pants and forced her to perform fellacio. “I tried to get away, but maybe I didn’t try hard enough. I didn’t want to kick him or fight him.”

Evans alleges that he eventually overpowered her.

“I just sort of gave up,” she told the New Yorker. “That’s the most horrible part of it, and that’s why he’s been able to do this for so long to so many women: people give up, and then they feel like it’s their fault.”

Evans, now known as Lucia Stoller, ultimately did not pursue acting. Evans said that after the incident she continued to blame herself for not fighting harder, reports the New Yorker.

“It was always my fault for not stopping him,” she said. “I had an eating problem for years. I was disgusted with myself. It’s funny, all these unrelated things I did to hurt myself because of this one thing.”

3. The NYPD Have been Prepared to Arrest Weinstein for Months After Waiting on the Go-Ahead from Manhattan DA; Weinstein Inevitably Turned Himself In

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CNN reports that Weinstein is expected to turn himself in to the NYPD related to sexual misconduct charges on Friday, May 25, according to a source familiar with the investigation.

According to the Daily Beast, the NYPD has been prepared to slap cuffs on Weinstein for months now, but was awaiting a nod from Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance.

“We’re ready to go with an arrest,” a police official with direct knowledge of the case told the Daily Beast.

Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce was asked about the investigation into sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, reports the Daily Beast. Boyce replied that detectives were still gathering evidence against Weinstein, but that the case is “going very, very well.”

The Daily Beast then addressed Vance about the investigation, but a spokesman for Vance declined to comment.

According to police sources, the NYPD has been investigating five separate sexual assault allegations against Weinstein, with one case rumored to be particularly strong, reports the Daily Beast. Besides the Evans case, actress Paz de la Huerta also alleged that Weinstein threw her down on a bed and raped her in 2010, according to Vanity Fair. The other three cases are still developing, the Daily Beast reports.

4. Many A-List Celebrities Have Come Forward About Weinstein’s Advances, Claiming the Accusations have been Common Knowledge for Years

Getty(L-R) Daniel Paltridge, President, North America Bulgari, fashion designer Georgina Chapman and producer Harvey Weinstein attend The Weinstein Company’s Pre-Oscar Dinner in partnership with Bvlgari and Grey Goose at Montage Beverly Hills on February 25, 2017 in Beverly Hills, California.

Some of the women who have come forward publically accusing Weinstein of sexual misconduct include a number of A-list celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow, Ashley Judd and Angelina Jolie.

Paltrow said that Weinstein asked her to come to his suite at the Peninsula Beverly Hills hotel for a work meeting early in her career, according to the New York Times. When she arrived, Weinstein placed his hands on her and asked her to go to the bedroom for a massage.

Paltrow said she refused his advances and told her then-boyfriend Brad Pitt, who confronted Weinstein at a Hollywood premiere. After the encounter, Weinstein allegedly warned Paltrow not to tell anyone else about the incident.

Gwyneth Paltrow signs books during Authors Night For The East Hampton Library at Gardiner’s Farm on August 10, 2013 in East Hampton, New York. The actress has written several books in her career. (Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images for East Hampton Library)

“I thought he was going to fire me,” she said.

Angelina Jolie emailed the Times claiming that she refused to work with Weinstein after he made unwanted advances in a hotel, and Ashley Judd told the Times that she was sent to Weinstein’s hotel room for a meeting, where he was waiting in a bathrobe and asked if she would like to watch him shower.

“How do I get out of the room as fast as possible without alienating Harvey Weinstein?” Judd told The Times, adding that women in the entertainment industry had been talking about Weinstein’s misconduct “for a long time.”

Some in the entertainment industry say the accusations have been common knowledge for some time. A video from a 1998 interview with David Letterman recently resurfaced, showing Paltrow talking to Letterman about how Weinstein will “coerce you to do a thing or two.”

Another was a subtle joke made my Jane Krakowski’s character Jenna Maroney on 30 Rock.

5. The Weinstein Allegations Helped Spark the #MeToo Movement, and Have Been Cataclysmic in Bringing Down Other Celebrities Accused of Sexual Assault

The #MeToo movement, a hashtag used on social media to help demonstrate the widespread prevalence of sexual assault and harassment towards women around the world, went viral shortly after the allegations against Weinstein went public.

The phrase was first used by Tarana Burke, but was popularized by Alyssa Milano when she encouraged women to tweet the message to “give people a sense of the magnitude of the problem.”

Since then, the phrase has been re-posted on social media millions of times, often with an accompanying personal story of sexual assault or harassment. Celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence and Uma Thurman picked up the hashtag, sharing their own stories on social media in the hopes of empowering women to speak up and stand against sexual violence.

The allegations catalyzed the movement and have been drawing attention to sexual misconduct, sending a “ripple effects across multiple industries and taking down powerful men,” according to CNN.

Hollywood has been significantly impacted by the movement, with high-profile celebrities like Louis C.K., who admitted to acts of sexual misconduct after years of rumors about his abusive treatment of women comedians and Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey. Spacey was accused by more than a dozen men —  including five who said they were teens at the time — alleging that he sexually harassed, assaulted or attempted to rape them. An investigation has been under review regarding the allegations against Spacey.

More than 200 celebrities, politicians, CEO’s, comedians and news personalities have been accused of sexual assault since the post-Weinstein, #MeToo movement started.